Check out this fun and easy magic trick Nicholas did for Quirky Momma. All you need is a dollar bill and two paper clips.
Magic Paper Clip Trick
Check out this fun and easy magic trick Nicholas did for Quirky Momma. All you need is a dollar bill and two paper clips.
Listerine Oral Challenge: Success!
We've had fun with the Listerine Healthy Habits for a Lifetime Oral Care Challenge. We started the challenge three weeks ago and it is now coming to an end.
We had fun using our Reach toothbrushes and dental floss to learn how to care for our teeth with our homemade mouth model.
Since the Oral Care Challenge began, we've started taking care of our teeth as a family. The best way to teach a child something is to let them see you doing it too.
Nicholas has become a good flosser.
He likes the Reach Total Care floss because it slides smoothly through his teeth without shredding like our other floss did.
And although she isn't old enough to be able to do a good job of flossing by herself, little Rachel likes to try to do it herself because she sees all of us doing it.
The kids have fun with their mouth rinse and usually try to make funny faces in the mirror as they swish it around in their mouths.
Listerine Smart Rinse comes in fun flavors and colors with the kids' favorite cartoon characters and they even match the characters on their Reach toothbrushes. Listerine Smart Rinse if fun to use but it is also an anti-cavity fluoride rinse that protects teeth against cavities and strengthens teeth 99% better than brushing alone.
The progress calendar has been great. Nicholas loves marking that he has taken care of their teeth for the day and it is a constant reminder to him of what he needs to do. You could use any calendar with stickers on it and kids would love it.
Here are some tips from Dr. Kaneta Lott for a Lifetime of Smiles: Tips for Engaging Kids Early in Oral Care:
Ages 6-7:
Show, don't tell - Floss once a day and brush and rinse twice a day with a fluoride mouthrinse like Listerine Smart Rinse, every day. Share the experience with your child. When leading by example, kids are likely to imitate behavior and make oral hygiene feel less like a "kid thing".
Make oral care fun - Turn flossing into a funny-face contest, or make brushing a "Simon says" game by calling out different parts of the mouth. Try rinsing as a family and see who can go the longest without laughing.
Reward healthy behavior - Offer rewards for achieving brushing, flossing, and rinsing goals. Post a calendar in the bathroom and reward kids with a gold star for each day of great oral care. At the end of the month, praise kids for a job well done.
Ages 8-10:
Clean to the beat - Brushing, flossing, and rinsing are all rhythmic activities. Play music to help kids enjoy oral care routines. On average, brushing should last two minutes and rinsing 60 seconds. Together, these activities last the length of a typical song.
Let kids decide - Give kids the freedom to make decisions. Identify the best toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss. They come in a variety of flavors and colors - allow kids to select their favorites and keep the bathroom stocked.
Ages 11-12:
Recruit others - Enlist older siblings and family members to encourage proper oral hygiene. Another voice for good care can be influential and make a powerful impact on kids' behavior.
Embrace the power of a smile - Kids become increasingly aware, and often self-conscious, of appearances. Remind kids about the power of a healthy smile to build their confidence. Encourage them to brush, floss, and use a germ-killing rinse to clean their whole mouth. The results will be fresh breath and a great looking smile.
For more information on how to engage children in oral care, please visit www.ListerineKids.com.
Listerine and Reach products as well as a wealth of information about proper dental care can be found on WalMart's website.
Note: I received product and compensation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.
We had fun using our Reach toothbrushes and dental floss to learn how to care for our teeth with our homemade mouth model.
Since the Oral Care Challenge began, we've started taking care of our teeth as a family. The best way to teach a child something is to let them see you doing it too.
Nicholas has become a good flosser.
He likes the Reach Total Care floss because it slides smoothly through his teeth without shredding like our other floss did.
And although she isn't old enough to be able to do a good job of flossing by herself, little Rachel likes to try to do it herself because she sees all of us doing it.
The kids have fun with their mouth rinse and usually try to make funny faces in the mirror as they swish it around in their mouths.
Listerine Smart Rinse comes in fun flavors and colors with the kids' favorite cartoon characters and they even match the characters on their Reach toothbrushes. Listerine Smart Rinse if fun to use but it is also an anti-cavity fluoride rinse that protects teeth against cavities and strengthens teeth 99% better than brushing alone.
The progress calendar has been great. Nicholas loves marking that he has taken care of their teeth for the day and it is a constant reminder to him of what he needs to do. You could use any calendar with stickers on it and kids would love it.
Here are some tips from Dr. Kaneta Lott for a Lifetime of Smiles: Tips for Engaging Kids Early in Oral Care:
Ages 6-7:
Show, don't tell - Floss once a day and brush and rinse twice a day with a fluoride mouthrinse like Listerine Smart Rinse, every day. Share the experience with your child. When leading by example, kids are likely to imitate behavior and make oral hygiene feel less like a "kid thing".
Make oral care fun - Turn flossing into a funny-face contest, or make brushing a "Simon says" game by calling out different parts of the mouth. Try rinsing as a family and see who can go the longest without laughing.
Reward healthy behavior - Offer rewards for achieving brushing, flossing, and rinsing goals. Post a calendar in the bathroom and reward kids with a gold star for each day of great oral care. At the end of the month, praise kids for a job well done.
Ages 8-10:
Clean to the beat - Brushing, flossing, and rinsing are all rhythmic activities. Play music to help kids enjoy oral care routines. On average, brushing should last two minutes and rinsing 60 seconds. Together, these activities last the length of a typical song.
Let kids decide - Give kids the freedom to make decisions. Identify the best toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss. They come in a variety of flavors and colors - allow kids to select their favorites and keep the bathroom stocked.
Ages 11-12:
Recruit others - Enlist older siblings and family members to encourage proper oral hygiene. Another voice for good care can be influential and make a powerful impact on kids' behavior.
Embrace the power of a smile - Kids become increasingly aware, and often self-conscious, of appearances. Remind kids about the power of a healthy smile to build their confidence. Encourage them to brush, floss, and use a germ-killing rinse to clean their whole mouth. The results will be fresh breath and a great looking smile.
For more information on how to engage children in oral care, please visit www.ListerineKids.com.
Listerine and Reach products as well as a wealth of information about proper dental care can be found on WalMart's website.
Note: I received product and compensation from Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the Oral Care Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Konos: Trust - Surface Tension
Konos Unit: Trust
Theme: Surface Tension
We have studied surface tension which is kind of like an invisible skin on the water's surface. When I was planning the lessons, I got excited about building water molecules out of Tinker Toys to demonstrate Hydrogen bonding and a detailed explanation of how surface tension works. However, we haven't done anything with the periodic table or molecules or bonding. As I tried to create a lesson plan, I realized that there would be a whole unit of study that I would need to cover to really make hydrogen bonding make sense.
But as I was sitting on the playroom floor surrounded by Tinker Toys and nearing a meltdown, my dear husband, the voice of reason, reminded me that the boy is only in 2nd grade!
I get so excited about teaching him about the world around him that I easily get stuck thinking that I need to cover everything about each subject right now. But he's got years and years to get all the details. At this age, I just need introduce the concept of surface tension with some brief explanations and lots of demonstrations.
So that's what we've done.
We talked about surface tensions briefly and drew some pictures. Water molecules like to hold on to each other and they stick to each other in every direction. But the water on the surface only has water holding it from below so the pull down is stronger than the pull upwards. This makes them more tightly bonded to each other right at the surface which creates that harder to break "skin". And of course, soap breaks this bond by making the water want to stick to it instead of each other. Simple explanation but perfect for a 2nd grader.
This video talks briefly about surface tension but it is really just cool because it shows water droplets at 5000 frames per second!
Then we did lots of demonstrations of what surface tension looks like.
We got a small squirt bottle and filled it with water. Nicholas slowly squirted a few drops of water on the top of a penny.
His hypothesis was that a little bit of water would go on the penny but most of it would just end up on the table. He was amazed to see that the water held itself together and formed a small dome of water.
Rachel did the experiment too although she just liked keeping her finger on the penny so the surface tension couldn't form. Why is three such a defiant age?
Next Nicholas the cowboy drew an outline for a paper boat. He drew several before he made one that he liked.
He decided on this larger boat and it really worked well.
Take a look at this video and see what happened when they added drops of liquid soap behind the boat. I'll give you a hint...ZOOM!!!
We cleaned out the plastic tub and put in fresh water. Then we dirtied it up by covering the top of the surface with pepper.
It was enough to make you sneeze!
Take a look at this video to see what happened next...
Here's another experiment we love. Nicholas has done the exploding milk experiment in the past and asked to do it again since some of the previous surface tension experiments reminded him of it. However, this one isn't really a demonstration of surface tension. There is a different thing happening here with fat molecules and soap but it's still a fun experiment.
You need a pan, whole milk, squirt bottle with liquid soap, and some food coloring. The silly boy is optional.
Pour the milk in the pan and add a few drops of food coloring to the center. Then watch what happens when a little soap is added...
This experiment is so cool that we did it several times. Here was our best exploded milk picture.
My kids are mad scientists and love to mix things up. Check out the fun they have with the leftover milk.
And still other things were added to the milk such as pepper and ketchup!
I love to watch them have so much fun as they explore the different sights and textures of their creations.
Theme: Surface Tension
We have studied surface tension which is kind of like an invisible skin on the water's surface. When I was planning the lessons, I got excited about building water molecules out of Tinker Toys to demonstrate Hydrogen bonding and a detailed explanation of how surface tension works. However, we haven't done anything with the periodic table or molecules or bonding. As I tried to create a lesson plan, I realized that there would be a whole unit of study that I would need to cover to really make hydrogen bonding make sense.
But as I was sitting on the playroom floor surrounded by Tinker Toys and nearing a meltdown, my dear husband, the voice of reason, reminded me that the boy is only in 2nd grade!
I get so excited about teaching him about the world around him that I easily get stuck thinking that I need to cover everything about each subject right now. But he's got years and years to get all the details. At this age, I just need introduce the concept of surface tension with some brief explanations and lots of demonstrations.
So that's what we've done.
We talked about surface tensions briefly and drew some pictures. Water molecules like to hold on to each other and they stick to each other in every direction. But the water on the surface only has water holding it from below so the pull down is stronger than the pull upwards. This makes them more tightly bonded to each other right at the surface which creates that harder to break "skin". And of course, soap breaks this bond by making the water want to stick to it instead of each other. Simple explanation but perfect for a 2nd grader.
This video talks briefly about surface tension but it is really just cool because it shows water droplets at 5000 frames per second!
Then we did lots of demonstrations of what surface tension looks like.
We got a small squirt bottle and filled it with water. Nicholas slowly squirted a few drops of water on the top of a penny.
His hypothesis was that a little bit of water would go on the penny but most of it would just end up on the table. He was amazed to see that the water held itself together and formed a small dome of water.
Rachel did the experiment too although she just liked keeping her finger on the penny so the surface tension couldn't form. Why is three such a defiant age?
Next Nicholas the cowboy drew an outline for a paper boat. He drew several before he made one that he liked.
He decided on this larger boat and it really worked well.
Take a look at this video and see what happened when they added drops of liquid soap behind the boat. I'll give you a hint...ZOOM!!!
We cleaned out the plastic tub and put in fresh water. Then we dirtied it up by covering the top of the surface with pepper.
It was enough to make you sneeze!
Take a look at this video to see what happened next...
Here's another experiment we love. Nicholas has done the exploding milk experiment in the past and asked to do it again since some of the previous surface tension experiments reminded him of it. However, this one isn't really a demonstration of surface tension. There is a different thing happening here with fat molecules and soap but it's still a fun experiment.
You need a pan, whole milk, squirt bottle with liquid soap, and some food coloring. The silly boy is optional.
Pour the milk in the pan and add a few drops of food coloring to the center. Then watch what happens when a little soap is added...
This experiment is so cool that we did it several times. Here was our best exploded milk picture.
My kids are mad scientists and love to mix things up. Check out the fun they have with the leftover milk.
And still other things were added to the milk such as pepper and ketchup!
I love to watch them have so much fun as they explore the different sights and textures of their creations.
The Kitchen Classroom
It's important to let kids help out in the kitchen. It's fun bonding time but also provides lots of great educational opportunities. I wrote more about it on my Quirky Momma post for this week. Check it out HERE.
Family Trail Walk
We are loving this beautiful weather and mild temperatures. Time to come out of hibernation and get back outside!
We went for a family walk yesterday around some of the fabulous trails in our town. The kids were exceptionally cute in their cowboy hats and sunglasses.
Although the temps were in the 70's, Rachel insisted on wearing a sweatshirt vest AND mittens.
There is a cool walking tunnel that goes under one of the main streets in town.
The kids love it in here!
There is a Christian song that we like that says, "There's a light at the end of this tunnel, there's a light at the end of this tunnel for you". Nicholas knew that we were going to a playground at the end of this walk so he adjusted the song a little for our outing to say, "There's a playground at the end of this tunnel." Check out the video....
I love to just watch the kids in the great outdoors. They both love sticks!
And blowing dandelion seeds.
If you are still you just might get to see a squirrel up close.
Sweet Nicholas picked little weed flowers for me along our walk but he also drew a flower in the dirt for me. Such a sweet boy.
Rachel is more cautious about things than Nicholas but she was enjoying climbing down rocks to get a better view of the creek than ran along the trail we were on.
Daddy followed her down to talk to take a look around too.
This is a nice paved trail that I walked many times back when Nicholas was in a stroller. It is pretty with all the trees plus there are benches, picnic tables, and trash cans along the way. It's nice and clean and an easy walk. It is really more of a greenbelt between some houses and the creek and it leads to the Duck Pond where the kids love to play or you can follow it a different direction and end up on a busy street where there are lots of restaurants and shopping.
This is a smaller pond that drains from the duck pond. The boys checked it out and talked about where along the bank would make for a good fishing spot.
Rachel and I hung out on this ledge and took a little water break. I amazingly got her to pose for a few pictures.
She usually doesn't stay in one place long enough to pose for me!
Nicholas and Rachel enjoyed watching the ducks swim around.
While the boys stopped for water, Nicholas decided to try to make a fishing pole out of a stick and a long blade of grass. He wanted to whittle a hook from a stick! I love his resourcefulness. Someday I'll have to let him watch a re-run of MacGyver!
We decided not to cross the street to get to the Duck Pond since the kids would want to play on the playground for a while but we had to get back to get ready for a hockey game. But as we were heading back, we discovered a little area of the creek that had three ropes dangling from a tree. We couldn't easily reach them from our side of the creek so Nicholas crossed the creek to check them out.
They were perfect for swinging across the creek but just a little too high for Nicholas to reach.
Daddy crossed over too and checked out the ropes. He could reach them and they seemed strong enough to be able to swing from. Rachel and I watched as Daddy almost went swinging across the creek.
However, the boys decided to save the swinging for another day. The other side of the creek didn't make for a good landing spot and there was a long walk to have to make to get back home in drenched clothes.
As they climbed up out of the creek, Rachel greeted them and offered water.
We started again to head back but the boy was super excited to find this ladder built on the side of a tree.
Which had to be climbed!
Rachel occupied herself with more sticks while Nicholas was climbing.
She had a whole branch that she dragged for quite a way down the sidewalk.
We found another cool spot that had two fallen trees spanning the creek.
Well, of course, we had to check that out!
Nicholas started crawling across the creek on one of the fallen trees.
As the tree got more narrow, he ended up scooting along until he got to the other side.
He was having a blast!
On the way back, he actually walked along part of the tree while holding Stuart's hand. Brave boy!
Unfortunately, Rachel still enjoys pouring out her drinking water. It's just fun to make little puddles but then she has no water to drink when she gets thirsty.
But we were almost done with the trail by then and had to get home to get Nicholas ready for his game. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with our family. I really needed that special time together and getting outdoors always helps to replenish my spirits and energize my soul.
We went for a family walk yesterday around some of the fabulous trails in our town. The kids were exceptionally cute in their cowboy hats and sunglasses.
Although the temps were in the 70's, Rachel insisted on wearing a sweatshirt vest AND mittens.
There is a cool walking tunnel that goes under one of the main streets in town.
The kids love it in here!
There is a Christian song that we like that says, "There's a light at the end of this tunnel, there's a light at the end of this tunnel for you". Nicholas knew that we were going to a playground at the end of this walk so he adjusted the song a little for our outing to say, "There's a playground at the end of this tunnel." Check out the video....
I love to just watch the kids in the great outdoors. They both love sticks!
And blowing dandelion seeds.
If you are still you just might get to see a squirrel up close.
Sweet Nicholas picked little weed flowers for me along our walk but he also drew a flower in the dirt for me. Such a sweet boy.
Rachel is more cautious about things than Nicholas but she was enjoying climbing down rocks to get a better view of the creek than ran along the trail we were on.
Daddy followed her down to talk to take a look around too.
This is a nice paved trail that I walked many times back when Nicholas was in a stroller. It is pretty with all the trees plus there are benches, picnic tables, and trash cans along the way. It's nice and clean and an easy walk. It is really more of a greenbelt between some houses and the creek and it leads to the Duck Pond where the kids love to play or you can follow it a different direction and end up on a busy street where there are lots of restaurants and shopping.
This is a smaller pond that drains from the duck pond. The boys checked it out and talked about where along the bank would make for a good fishing spot.
Rachel and I hung out on this ledge and took a little water break. I amazingly got her to pose for a few pictures.
She usually doesn't stay in one place long enough to pose for me!
Nicholas and Rachel enjoyed watching the ducks swim around.
While the boys stopped for water, Nicholas decided to try to make a fishing pole out of a stick and a long blade of grass. He wanted to whittle a hook from a stick! I love his resourcefulness. Someday I'll have to let him watch a re-run of MacGyver!
We decided not to cross the street to get to the Duck Pond since the kids would want to play on the playground for a while but we had to get back to get ready for a hockey game. But as we were heading back, we discovered a little area of the creek that had three ropes dangling from a tree. We couldn't easily reach them from our side of the creek so Nicholas crossed the creek to check them out.
They were perfect for swinging across the creek but just a little too high for Nicholas to reach.
Daddy crossed over too and checked out the ropes. He could reach them and they seemed strong enough to be able to swing from. Rachel and I watched as Daddy almost went swinging across the creek.
However, the boys decided to save the swinging for another day. The other side of the creek didn't make for a good landing spot and there was a long walk to have to make to get back home in drenched clothes.
As they climbed up out of the creek, Rachel greeted them and offered water.
We started again to head back but the boy was super excited to find this ladder built on the side of a tree.
Which had to be climbed!
Rachel occupied herself with more sticks while Nicholas was climbing.
She had a whole branch that she dragged for quite a way down the sidewalk.
We found another cool spot that had two fallen trees spanning the creek.
Well, of course, we had to check that out!
Nicholas started crawling across the creek on one of the fallen trees.
As the tree got more narrow, he ended up scooting along until he got to the other side.
He was having a blast!
On the way back, he actually walked along part of the tree while holding Stuart's hand. Brave boy!
Unfortunately, Rachel still enjoys pouring out her drinking water. It's just fun to make little puddles but then she has no water to drink when she gets thirsty.
But we were almost done with the trail by then and had to get home to get Nicholas ready for his game. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with our family. I really needed that special time together and getting outdoors always helps to replenish my spirits and energize my soul.
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